Petals of Redemption
by ErinFiefe
Summary: Kakashi becomes Sasuke's new guardian. Sasuke is oblivious to Kakashi's TRUE intentions: to pair up his two favourite students Naruto and he, and catch them red-handed in the act. SasuxNaru, a little bit of KakaxSasu. Enjoy.
1. A New Beginning

CHAPTER ONE

**CHAPTER ONE**

Kakashi brushed off a few stray bangs off Sasuke's delicate forehead. The Uchiha child was asleep and exhausted by tears in his newly-appointed guardian's arms. The recent massacre of the Uchiha Clan had left him internally scarred. And to think, Sasuke was only seven years old. Kakashi placed Sasuke on the bed gently and sat on the bedside, lacing his fingers to Sasuke's. His heart extended for the pained little child who had been through horrifying nightmares that no other individual should have ever been subjected to. He bent towards the unconscious boy, planting a kiss on his soft, red cheeks. Kakashi then blew out the candle. He closed the door and headed out of the room towards the kitchen, the whistling kettle indicating that the water had come to a boil. Releasing a sigh, he made a pot of coffee and poured some into a cup.

He pulled a chair and sat on it, sipping the coffee peacefully. As he gulped it down halfway down his throat, he heard a rustling noise. It somehow seemed to be emanating from the living room. He ignored it, thinking it be the neighbour's mischievous cat. Suddenly, a tearful Sasuke emerged from the shadows, rubbing his eyes continuously. He was evidently in that state for quite a long time, judging by his drenched T-shirt. Sasuke was lonely. And afraid. He apparently disliked that sensation. Kakashi approached Sasuke, gently placing his right hand on Sasuke's cheek. Sasuke wrapped his hands around Kakashi's waist and pressed his face against Kakashi's shirt, soaking it with his miserable tears. They stood frozen at that position for a few minutes until, Kakashi lifted Sasuke on his arms bridal-style, making his way up the stairs and back to the bedroom.

He gently lay Sasuke's fragile body flat on the bed, as though his life had depended on it. "Don't be afraid. I'm here. I will always be, no matter the consequences," reassured Kakashi, who joined Sasuke on the bed as well. "I will protect you. With my life." He combed Sasuke's lengthy, smooth boy bangs aside with his fingers and much to his astonishment, Sasuke was already sound asleep, and anyone who didn't know any better would easily mistake him for a newborn baby. Sasuke looked so adorable. Kakashi felt that maybe that was what it felt like, to be a father. He closed his eyes and eventually fell asleep as well.

**IN THE MORNING..**

Sasuke blinked repeatedly as he arose from sleep, the predawn sun filtering faintly into the largely secluded room. He glanced towards every direction, but he noticed that Kakashi was no longer at his bedside. But he detected a pleasant fragrance. He was somehow drawn to this captivating scent. Following it, he climbed down the stairs slowly and at that very moment, his eyes were fixed on the back view of Kakashi who was whistling as he prepared breakfast. Presumably, Kakashi had already hear the echoing of footsteps since Sasuke had stepped out of the room. He turned right around and laid eyes on a bedheaded Sasuke, frowning and scratching his head in total confusion. It was deemed obvious that any remnants of the broken child from the previous night had dissipated… At least for that very moment.

"Good morning, Sasuke-kun. We'll have waffles for breakfast today. Come, have a seat and enjoy some," said Kakashi in a somewhat cheery tone of speech. "Mmm.." replied Sasuke. He was completely oblivious to Kakashi's true intentions. Placing three steaming-hot plates on the coffee table, Kakashi pulled a chair for Sasuke as well, patting the seat in invitation. He then continued in a somewhat hopeful voice, "Oh, and Naruto will be coming over in awhile to accompany you." Kakashi smirked and bit his lip, anticipating Sasuke's presumably awkward reaction.

Sasuke's eyes widened as he caught that name. Naruto. Oh, how he enjoyed observing Naruto's eyes darken from sky blue to velvet purple when he made a vitriolic comment. The tiny blotches of red that would instantaneously appear on his cheeks within a matter of seconds, accenting his already pale skin. He would give Sasuke a blazing stare from under his silky smooth, pale lashes. THAT was the expression in which Naruto would display when angered, in fits of rage. But despite that, beyond Sasuke's carefully-constructed façade, lay his deeply-buried emotions. His TRUE emotions. And the only person who could pierce right through it was none other than his own sensei, Kakashi Hatake. Sasuke smirked at the thought, with Kakashi sighing in relief. He had thought that Sasuke would grumble in annoyance at the mention of Naruto's name. But above all that, he, in actual fact, knew the absolute truth.

As Sasuke sat next to Kakashi, the peculiar look that Kakashi gave him made him feel very uncomfortable. The look that flashed the 'I-know-how-you-REALLY-feel-and-you-can't-hide-it' factor. Sasuke's face etched in desperation. He gave a silent yelp and his heart thumped hard as though it was popping out of his chest. Sasuke was afraid that Kakashi would tell Naruto. He certainly objected that thought, he just… Wasn't ready. He needed more time. Sasuke made a futile attempt to conceal his emotions, the tiniest bit of humility creeped out of his features – That was already enough evidence for Kakashi to guess the bitter truth, even if he hadn't known already. It was extremely obvious. "It's okay Sasuke… I'll be quiet about it."


	2. It's getting hot

CHAPTER TWO

**CHAPTER TWO**

Naruto peeked into Kakashi's home through the slight gap that the entrance door had left, keen on finding the source of the aroma which had spread like wildfire throughout the entire village – Kakashi's scrumptious Homemade Waffles. Smacking his lips in utter delight, Naruto got off Kakashi's front porch and stepped into his home. The aroma eventually directed him towards the kitchen, where he spots Kakashi flashing a cheeky smile across his face whilst Sasuke blushed uncontrollably, his cheeks as red as a rose. Naruto's mouth literally fell to the floor. He thought to himself, " .. Sasuke? Blushing?! No way in hell has this got to be true.. He has NEVER blushed! ..Well, not that I know of, exactly. He always displayed his standard manic grin." Naruto entered the kitchen, in false pretences that he saw nothing. He waved at Kakashi and seven-year-old Sasuke, both of whom reverted back to their regular facial expressions the moment Naruto entered. Sasuke was young, but he was definitely mature for his age.

Wasting not a single second, Naruto rubbed his hands together, pulling a seat next to Sasuke and wiping off the string of saliva that dangled from his mouth. Displaying no hesitation, he practically swallowed down the entire waffle seemingly in the blink of an eye. Kakashi smiled to himself as Sasuke watched in total disgust. "You must really be hungry. Let me fix you another batch," Kakashi said blearily. Sasuke continued, " Gosh Naruto, you have the manners and eating etiquettes of a PIG!"

Naruto shut his eyes gently, his eyebrows furrowed and his mouth shut tightly, holding back his insults. Sasuke just smirked at his pathetic display of anger control. "Now, now.. Weren't the both of you supposed to go for a dip at the bath house?" interrupted Kakashi in a successful attempt to change the subject. Naruto scrunched up his eyebrows, in deep concentration. Then he spoke. "But, I don't have any swimwear. I bet Sasuke doesn't, either. So.. Too bad, I guess.." asked Naruto, a pint of hopeful hesitation blended in his voice. He obviously did not want to enter a Bath House half-naked with .. Sasuke. He would rather go in naked with Kakashi instead. "Hmm, I think I might have a few. Give me a moment." Naruto wanted to protest but, Kakashi had already made his way upstairs. As Kakashi rummaged through his wardrobe like a rampaging rhino, Naruto and Sasuke were left in the kitchen, in companionable silence.

**KAKASHI RETURNS!**

Making his way back to the kitchen, Kakashi held a pair of swimwear in each hand. "Terribly sorry boys, but this is all that I could find. Well, I wore them back when I was YOUR age so.. I guess it should fit nicely. Why don't you give them a try?" They were ostensibly 'all he had', although the horrible truth was, Kakashi had a dozen others but he picked the two smallest ones on purpose. He caught Sasuke glaring at them incredulously. Without a second's thought, Kakashi asked," What's wrong?" His eyes were filled with concern. Sasuke released a sigh. "N-Nothing.. Look, can we just go swimming some OTHER time?" They could see Sasuke's futile efforts in holding back his tears which swelled up in his eyes and rolled down his cheeks. The child had seemingly reverted back to his miserable, lost form. Kakashi's sensei instincts kicked in, telling him that something wasn't right at that moment.

Naruto stood up and wanted to see what was going on, his mismatched eyes wide with curiosity. The concerned guardian stuck out his hand in restriction, instead asking that Naruto stayed in the kitchen and await his return whilst he headed upstairs to find out what went wrong. Naruto lowered his head as he dug in to the extra serving of waffles. "Okay."


End file.
